Sarah Smith
Senior Lecturer in Music
Job Role: Flute Tutor
Department: Woodwind
Honours: BA (Hons), ARCM
Jonathan Burgess was born in Oxfordshire. His early musical training was as a chorister in the Choir of New College, Oxford. As a student flautist, he was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the Britten Pears Orchestra. He read music at Oxford University and was subsequently awarded a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with the inspirational flautist, Sebastian Bell.
After graduating, he worked with many orchestras and ensembles, including the London Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Endymion Ensemble.
He is currently Principal Flute with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, which is based at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, and tours extensively in the UK and abroad. As a soloist, he has performed all the Mozart Flute concertos with the Welsh National Opera orchestra and worked with many distinguished conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Charles Mackerras, Carlo Rizzi, Andrew Litton, Vladimir Jurowski and Mark Wigglesworth. He has also played as guest Principal with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Opera North.
As a Flute Tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, he brings a wealth of experience in guiding and mentoring both undergraduate and postgraduate students through a structured and collaborative approach. Of particular importance to him is the partnership between the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Welsh National Opera, where selected students work on placement with the orchestra, gaining invaluable experience.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Welsh National Opera, where selected students work on placement with the orchestra, gaining invaluable experience.